Australia

MORE than $200 million in sponsorship for the Sydney Olympics could be in peril because of the Asian economic crisis, Olympics boss Michael Knight has warned.

Ian Dicker, president of Australian Rules football entity, Hawthorn Football Club, has called on the sport's organising body, the Australian Football League Commission, to maintain the AFL park venue in the Melbourne suburb of Waverley.

Individual and team gold medals will be awarded in a record 296 events at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, games organisers have said.

There would be no backing down on the commitment to provide cheap tickets for the 2000 Sydney Games, New South Wales Olympics Minister Michael Knight has said.

Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, will host the 16th Commonwealth Games in September, 1998. Most of the sporting venues are in their final stages of completion.

Reports from Australia suggest that Nine Network could add rugby union to its television sports stable.

NBA players have confirmed they will not compete in the world championships in Athens next month, the organising committee said on Wednesday.

South Australia?s Deputy Premier, Graham Ingerson says tenders have been called from a "select group" of four companies to work on stage two of the Hindmarsh Soccer Stadium redevelopment.

The search has started for a company willing to pay to have its name associated with the Docklands Stadium, Melbourne, Australia.

The British Olympic Association (BOA) has signed a $1.5 million sponsorship agreement with Australian wine producers Lindemans.

One of the Sydney Games' major sponsors, Visa, has warned that it will vigorously campaign against moves to make sponsors provide substantial subsidies for low-priced tickets.

Australian sport scientists have claimed a major in the battle against doping with the discovery of the first test to detect the banned substance erythropoietin (EPO).

Ian Campbell, former President of Nike Sports Entertainment has joined Bob Gutkowski?s Marquee group and will launch Marquee Australia.

The Rugby League Council is to be asked to approve a revised five year deal worth #44 million with Sky Television in Salford.

An Australian court has ordered an animal rights activist to stop depicting the five Olympic rings as chicken eggs in her protests against the use of battery hens.

The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) is proposing an end to a ban on athlete interviews by non-rights holding media according to specialist Olympic news service 'Around the Rings'.